The Kennedys: Lives lived and given in service

“From those to whom much is given, much is required.”
Luke 12:48

These are the words that motivated the Kennedys…that moved them to service for the betterment of their country and the world. And with the passing of Teddy, the youngest of four brothers, an era has drawn to a close.

Joseph Jr., the eldest, died during WWII, in 1944, when the bomber in which he was flying exploded over the English Channel. John, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated in Dallas in 1963 during the third year of his presidency. Robert, a U.S. Senator, fell to an assassin’s bullet in Los Angeles in 1968 while campaigning for the Democratic Presidential nomination. And finally Teddy, Senator Edward Moore Kennedy, succumbed to the ravages of a malignant brain tumor late Tuesday evening… the only one of the four brothers in this star-crossed family who was able to live out his years and die a natural, albeit horrible death.

While his three older brothers, either heroically or tragically, gave their lives for their country, it’s fair to say that Teddy gave his life to his country. The Lion of the Senate wrote or co-wrote some 2,500 bills during his illustrious 46-year career in Washington, resulting in over 300 laws that bear his name. And he was passionate about his work… passionate about helping create legislation that would make the country a better, more equitable place for all, passionate about representing the people of Massachusetts and about serving the people of America.

From Civil Rights to Labor Rights to Gay Rights…from Immigration to Education to the environment…from outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War to outspoken opposition to the Iraq War…Ted Kennedy championed all of these causes and issues along with so many more. But nothing has been more important to him…nothing has occupied more of his time during the past 46 years…than his never-ending fight to make quality Health Care available, accessible and affordable to all Americans, regardless of their circumstances.

It was only a month ago that he wrote these words in an article that appeared in Newsweek. “This (Health Care Reform) is the cause of my life. For four decades I have carried this cause…from the floor of the United States Senate to every part of this country. It has never been merely a question of policy; it goes to the heart of my belief in a just society. Now the issue has more meaning for me…and more urgency…than ever before. But it’s always been deeply personal, because the importance of health care has been a recurrent lesson throughout most of my 77 years.”

Referring back to what he said during his emotional and inspiring address at the Democratic Convention in Denver last summer he reiterated his hope that with Barack Obama in the White House, “…we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American… will have decent, quality Health Care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege”.

Ted Kennedy was no saint. Who among us has been? But when he is eulogized at his funeral in Boston tomorrow he will be remembered as a flawed man who grew to become, as former President Jimmy Carter said on learning of his passing, “…an unwavering advocate for the millions of less fortunate in our country. The courage and dignity he exhibited in his fight with cancer was surpassed only by his lifelong commitment and service to his country.” And keep in mind, this comes from a man who, even though they were in the same party, was once a bitter political rival.

So Camelot, it seems, is no more. And it remains to be seen if the impetus provided by Ted Kennedy’s death, but more so his life and legacy, will be enough, finally, to help make the type of meaningful Health Care Reform he fought so long and hard for a reality.
Perhaps it will be his words that make the ultimate difference when the Senate reconvenes after Labor Day.

“For me…this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

Edward Moore Kennedy – 1932-2009 – Rest in peace.

SC